University of Northern Colorado’s Vidal is Bears’ all-time Division I win leader

Valerie Vidal has won more games than any other pitcher in the Division I history of the University of Northern Colorado softball.

Vidal also ranks second on the list of losses among Bears pitchers dating to 2013.

A senior from Peoria, Arizona, Vidal is 32-44 in her UNC career heading into a critical stretch of Big Sky Conference games this weekend. UNC, 11-34 overall and on a six-game losing streak, is in a spot to make the six-team BSC postseason tournament.

The Bears are 5-9 in the conference with three games Friday and Saturday at rival Montana. The Grizzlies are 4-8 in the BSC and in sixth place, one game behind UNC.

University of Northern Colorado pitcher Valerie Vidal will end her Bears career as the program’s all-time winningest Division I pitcher with 32 wins heading into the final series of the 2019 regular season. (University of Northern Colorado Athletic Department).DEAN1142

UNC and Montana play a doubleheader at 3 and 5 p.m. Friday in Missoula. Game 3 in the series is 1 p.m. Saturday, putting a wrap on the Bears’ regular season. With North Dakota dropping out of the league, UNC has a bye for the final weekend of the regular season on May 3-4.

“It’s important that we wins these games,” Vidal said. “It will not only set a tone but it will get us where we need to be in the Big Sky tournament and that’s what we’re looking for.”

The Big Sky Conference tournament is May 8-11 in Sacramento, California.

Pitching with a young team behind her, Vidal is 8-25 this spring with the Montana series on deck. She calls the record 32 wins “a huge accomplishment,” but season record and the overall career mark aren’t what Vidal wants to see in a record book.

But the chance to play and pitch in the conference tournament could serve as a reboot after a pressure-filled senior season.

“It’s hard to hear those numbers because not only do I know I have way more potential than that…this year has been rocky for everybody across the board,” she said. “It’s no where near where we would’ve loved to be.”

Jayme Reddacliff won 31 games from 2014-17 and she also lost 54 – the program’s highest number in that category dating to 2013. Reddacliff is the program leader in games started with 95. Vidal is second with 78. She is also second with 310 strikeouts.

First-year Bears coach Ben Garcia said the season has really boiled down to a perfect storm in many ways. Vidal, the only senior with three freshman on the pitching staff, has born the brunt of an injury bug, a youth movement and lineup changes.

In the Bears’ revamped infield this spring, Garcia has been going with two freshmen and two sophomores.

University of Northern Colorado softball pitcher Valerie Vidal during a game in spring 2019. Vidal, a senior from Peoria, Arizona, will finish her career as the Bears all-time Division I wins leader. (Louis Amestoy/lamestoy@greeleytribune.come). _MGL1882

Also added to the mix this spring, Garcia said, was a challenging schedule that early on had the Bears on the road for six-straight weekends and facing Southeastern Conference schools Arkansas and Texas A&M.

“Valerie has tried to carry us,” said Garcia, who took over the program in September. “Her thought is, I have to shut them down to win and sometimes that pressure is going to get to anybody.”

Garcia said the defense has been giving opponents four and five outs and “you can’t do that at this level.”

That forces a pitcher to face an additional batter, and without a strong stable of pitchers behind Vidal, the senior then has to compensate – or feels as if she has to.

Garcia said Vidal is a special person and he hopes the team can give her the right kind of send off in her final games, however many there are to come.

“Valerie from Day 1 has been an inspiration,” Garcia said. “Her motivation is ‘we’re going to do this and I don’t care if the score is 10-0.’ She’s not going to quit.”

— Anne Delaney covers high school and recreational sports for The Greeley Tribune. Contact Anne at adelaney@greeleytribune.com, (970) 392-5647 or on Twitter @AnneGDelaney.